Black Sabbath made one of metal’s all-time greatest comebacks in 2013, releasing ’13’ and embarking on a world tour despite guitarist Tony Iommi‘s lymphoma diagnosis and parting ways with founding drummer Bill Ward over apparent contract issues. The band had forced itself past those hardships, but underneath it all, singer Ozzy Osbourne had relapsed on drugs and alcohol.

On April 15, Ozzy publicly admitted that he had been “drinking and taking drugs” for the past 18 months. Ozzy’s relapse drove a wedge between himself and wife Sharon Osbourne, with the icon’s wife moving out of their house to escape the situation. The couple has since reconciled and the ‘Prince of Darkness’ has gotten sober.

In the December 2013 / January 2014 issue of Revolver, Ozzy makes it clear that Black Sabbath’s reunion did not encourage or facilitate his relapse. “It wasn’t Black Sabbath,” Ozzy tells Revolver. “I’m an alcoholic. It’s my disease. If I don’t go to these AA meetings, I tell myself, You can have a line of that. You can smoke that or whatever. Next thing you know, I’m f—ing on my own somewhere in L.A. I don’t know why. I’m my own worst enemy. The idea of having one drink or one joint or one line of coke or whatever, my whole f—ing life caves in. It’s a bad thing. I haven’t drunk now for maybe nine months.”

Ozzy also tells Revolver that reconciling with Sharon came “very difficultly.” “She knows what it’s all about. When you’re stuck in a f—ing hotel room in the middle of nowhere with time on your hands … you spend the rest of the time in your head in your own f—ing room left to your own devices. It’s f—ing bad.” [via Blabbermouth]

Black Sabbath just announced a number of North American tour dates for 2014, which accompany another handful set to take place throughout Europe and Asia.

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